Dietary fiber deficiency exacerbates intestinal inflammation via miR-6240-enriched gut extracellular vesicles.

ABSTRACT: Emerging evidence underscores the critical role of dietary fiber in maintaining gut homeostasis. While extracellular vesicles (EVs) have recently gained attention as key mediators of host-microbe communication, their functional contribution to fiber deficiency-associated pathologies remains largely unexplored. In this study, we revealed that a fiber-free diet induces significant intestinal inflammatory damage in mice, an effect that can be faithfully reproduced through fecal microbiota transplantation. Importantly, we demonstrated that intestinal epithelial cells-derived EVs from fiber-deprived mice are sufficient to recapitulate the detrimental effects of fiber deficiency. Mechanistic studies revealed enrichment of miR-6240 in these EVs, which targeted the 3'UTR of STAT6 mRNA to suppress

SUBMITTER: Song M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12936180 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature